Spacebase DF-9 recoups investment in two weeks

Double Fine's Spacebase DF-9 has managed to recoup the $400,000 invested in it after only two weeks of its open alpha being released.

The sci-fi management sim designed as a bit of a homage to the infamous Dwarf Fortress was funded with the help of Indie Fund and several other investors including the Humble Bundle team, Hemisphere Games, The Behemoth, Adam Saltsman and Morgan Webb.

Spacebase DF-9 launched on Steam Early Access last month and managed to recoup the investment in a fortnight, pulling in 85% of the $400,000 from Steam Early Access itself and the remaining 15% from direct sales on Double Fine's site.

Indie Fund, which organised the funding and pulled the investment group together, said it was the largest project they have ever worked on and the success means they should be able to go on to work with similar projects.

'This is an important milestone for us because the success of this experiment opens the door for us to support more projects of this magnitude in the future,' said an Indie Fund spokesperson. 'It also provides an encouraging data point about bringing together larger groups of people to support larger projects, and we are mulling over what this might mean for the future of Indie Fund.'

Spacebase DF-9 started life as a prototype developed during Double Fine's internal game jam, Amnesia Fortnight last November. The game jam was broadcast and shared with the gaming community through a Humble Bundle promotion which gave contributors access to documentary footage and the finished prototypes.